


Concessions

by sarken



Category: Political RPF - US 21st c.
Genre: 2004 Election, Election Night, M/M, Ohio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-01-21
Updated: 2005-01-21
Packaged: 2017-10-06 09:44:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarken/pseuds/sarken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edwards isn't ready to admit defeat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Concessions

Edwards works his way through the cable news channels as the sun rises. Every anchor on every channel wants to know if Ohio will be the new Florida, if John Kerry will be the new Al Gore, if computers will be the new hanging chads. But the only thing the journalists really care about is when they might get to sleep.

Kerry's large hand reaches down and tears the television remote from Edwards' grasp. With the click of a button the screen goes dark and Edwards leaps to his feet.

"The hell?" He faces Kerry and narrows his eyes, challenging the other man to explain.

"It's over." Kerry throws the remote onto the coffee table, which is littered with papers and Styrofoam cups of room temperature coffee. The coffee spills onto the floor and soaks Edwards' sock-covered feet. He doesn't even blink at the sensation, instead choosing to look directly at Kerry, who is saying, "You've got to be colorblind to believe Ohio's going to come out of this blue."

"Screw Ohio," Edwards snaps. "We could have had the South, but you wrote 'em off down there. Florida, Georgia, Arkansas--"

"And who would have delivered the South, Johnny?" he interrupts, not wanting to hear the names of all those God forsaken red states one more time.

"Me," Edwards answers, no hesitation or doubt in his voice. He and his accent could have won them enough votes to make Ohio irrelevant.

Kerry forces a laugh, but it comes out as an exhalation of bitterness. "Just like you won North Carolina."

"You wouldn't let me go there." If he looks at the darkened television screen, he can still see traces of a red North Carolina, the ultimate betrayal. He gave them six years and they gave him _nothing_.

"Bullshit. We went there. We shouldn't have needed to go there, but we went there. We wasted our time and our resources on something we should've had by default."

"We should've had it by default--there you go making assumptions again." His hands fly slightly upwards, the gesture mimicking a shrug. "You should've sent me to the South."

"I should have left you on the damn plane for all the good you did me." Kerry shakes his head and says to himself, "I knew you'd be a useless vice president, but I never thought you'd be a worthless running mate, too."

"Excuse me? 'Useless?' Don't you dare call me useless, not after I spent four months of my life trying to make your Boston bullshit into something believable." Edwards knows he'll feel guilty for this denial of the beliefs they share, but that will come later. For now he'll say anything, anything to prove he brought something to this campaign.

"How'd that work out for you? Did you get elected?" Kerry asks, rushing straight past the protest he sees forming inside Edwards' throat. "You didn't. For the rest of your life, you're just going to be the one term senator from North Carolina who didn't win the vice presidency. You'll always be an amateur."

Edwards repeats the last words softly and drops his eyes. He stares at the coffee as it continues to seep into his socks. An amateur, Edwards thinks. He's no amateur. He's had a lifetime of experiences, good and bad. He knows victory; he knows defeat. God, does he know loss--loss worse than Kerry could ever imagine, so fuck him.

Edwards' head jerks up and he looks the taller man in the eye. "You go to hell," he snaps, turning on his heel and heading for the door. He needs to get out of here, but he only takes two strides before Kerry's hands grab him by the shoulders and spin him back around.

"Don't walk away from me, John," he warns. His fingers dig in to Edwards' shoulder so strongly he can feel bone.

Edwards clenches his teeth, more from anger than from pain. "Let go of me, John," he says, his voice calm and commanding.

Kerry's grip loosens, but he doesn't pull away.  Instead he pushes Edwards, propelling him backwards into the wall.

Edwards' head slams into the wall an instant after his body. The room spins and Kerry's face blurs as Edwards pushes himself away from the wall and toward the other man. The quick recovery catches Kerry off guard and Edwards pins him to the opposite wall, his hands wrapped around fistfuls of Kerry's shirt. "Don't touch me, asshole."

Kerry appears satisfactorily stunned, so Edwards steps back and turns to leave the room. Kerry's taunting voice stops him. "Afraid you'll get hurt, pretty boy?"

"So that's why you chose me," Edwards says, his back still to Kerry. The anger and the hurt neutralize each other and his voice is cold. "I'm useless, but you get off on knowing I'm around. You want to screw me."

He spins and lunges for Kerry, who hardly moves as Edwards collides with him. Edwards grabs Kerry by the shirt once again, but this time he tugs down, putting them at the same level. His breathing is audible as he stares into Kerry's eyes. Another pull on Kerry's shirt brings him in for a bruising kiss, one that's more tongue and teeth than lips. Kerry tries to pull away, but Edwards' grip is strong. Kerry isn't getting away until Edwards lets go, and he isn't through yet. He pushes Kerry against the wall before releasing his hold on the other man's shirt.

Edwards inches away and drags the back of his hand across his mouth as Kerry realizes in horror that he liked it -- the taste, the hardness of Edwards' mouth on his.

"Fuck you," Kerry growls. The way Edwards stands there, suddenly emotionless, is a challenge: do it.

Kerry springs towards Edwards, grabbing him and sending them both crashing against the opposite wall. He barely has Edwards' belt unbuckled before Kerry feels hands on his shoulders, pushing him onto his knees. He pulls Edwards' pants down to his ankles before taking him in his mouth all at once, an act too ambitious for a first attempt. He gags and moves down to the tip, circling it with his tongue before slowly taking him deeper into his mouth.

Edwards digs his fingers into Kerry's flesh when he feels a hand slide along his leg, but Kerry pays no attention to the silent warning. He brings his hand up to Edwards' balls before Edwards says, "Don't. I said not to touch me, didn't I?"

Kerry obediently drops his hand to his side, but he also rises to his feet and Edwards worries that next he'll walk away. Kerry surprises Edwards by leaning in and kissing him, grinding his hips against the other man's naked lower body. Edwards presses into him and thrusts his tongue into Kerry's mouth.

Before Edwards can take complete control, Kerry breaks the kiss. He clasps his hands behind his back and uses a foot to push Edwards' legs further apart before lowering himself to the floor. He runs his tongue up Edwards' inner thigh, pausing to nip and suck at his skin before moving to the other leg, which he covers with kisses.

Edwards shivers and grabs Kerry by the shoulders as he blows cool air onto the skin he just kissed. "Bastard," Edwards says, and Kerry chuckles before again taking Edwards into his mouth. He licks and sucks as he moves along Edwards' cock, and soon Edwards is thrusting into Kerry's mouth.

"Touch me," Edwards orders, tangling his fingers in Kerry's hair. Edwards pulls him closer, driving himself deeper into Kerry's mouth. He feels Kerry massage his balls, knead his ass, and lastly grab his hips as Edwards comes.

Kerry swallows and coughs, wiping his mouth as he stands. He watches as Edwards opens his eyes and straightens from leaning against the wall. He pulls up his pants, tucking in only the front of his shirt. He doesn't meet Kerry's eyes.

Shrugging, Kerry looks at his watch before turning away. When he sees Teresa standing in the doorway, still dressed for bed, he freezes. The skin on his face appears to sink in and the bones rise to the surface, no expression visible in his features.

Teresa walks over to him, her eyes focused on Edwards' trapped expression. Kerry leans down to kiss her cheek, but Teresa turns her head and captures his lips with her own. She slips her tongue into his mouth, tasting her husband's running mate rather than just her husband. Her hand slides up his chest as they separate, and she smiles softly when her eyes meet his.

As he observes the look that passes between them and listens to the silence, Edwards feels like he interrupted a conversation about himself. He looks at his socks and the stain left by the coffee before lifting his eyes. Teresa is staring at him now, her hand still on her husband's chest. Edwards can't stand her gaze or the quiet any longer. "We're going to concede," he says, and he's the only one surprised by his words.

:end:


End file.
